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What does your favorite team need this summer?

by
Corey Masisak
/ NHL.com

Some players already have begun their offseason training in preparation for the 2011-12 season, and the city of Boston still is celebrating its first hockey championship in nearly four decades, but a day that will alter the future season is coming Friday.

July 1 is a holiday in Canada, but it also is a jubilee of sorts for NHL fans everywhere. While this year's free-agent market is considered significantly thinner than normal, there are plenty of teams flush with salary-cap space.

Those two factors could make Friday -- and the days that follow -- pretty unique in the recent history of the NHL. Not only with the 2011-12 campaign likely be affected by key decisions in the next 48 (or more) hours, but teams that do not spend wisely could regret it in future seasons, as well.

The last time so many teams had this much salary-cap space at the start of free agency was 2007. There was more talent available that day, but many of the huge contracts handed out then (Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Michael Nylander) soon were considered regrettable decisions.

With that note of caution, here's a look at all 30 NHL teams (in order of where they finished the 2010-11 regular season), and what some of their top needs are as the 2011 edition of the free agent frenzy beckons. All salary-cap figures are courtesy of CapGeek.com.

1. Vancouver Canucks (117 points)Cap space: $13.016 millionKey free agents:Jannik Hansen (RFA), Chris Higgins (UFA), Raffi Torres (UFA), Sami Salo (UFA)Top needs: Signing Maxime Lapierre was the first step toward rebuilding the bottom two lines, which could be in for a makeover if some of these players find better offers elsewhere. Christian Ehrhoff no longer is the team's property, so finding a top-four defenseman would help. This is a team that has all the key components, but filling in the role players could be tricky (and the key players have plenty of questions for next season).

2. Washington Capitals (107 points)Cap space: $8.903 million Key free agents:Karl Alzner (RFA), Scott Hannan (UFA), Semyon Varlamov (RFA), Troy Brouwer (RFA)Top needs: Resolving the situation with Varlamov (KHL? Another NHL team? Staying put?) probably is the biggest thing, while adding one more veteran defenseman because the team doesn't know what it might get from Tom Poti next season also is of high import. Then there is the big picture: Do they shake things up is the question. If the choice is major change, that answer might be a trade or two later in the summer.

3. Philadelphia Flyers (106 points)Cap space: $8.281 millionKey free agents:Ville Leino (UFA), Jakub Voracek (RFA), Wayne Simmonds (RFA)Top needs: The Flyers have made plenty of moves already, but they could use another defenseman. How much room they have if they re-sign their three top free agents will dictate the quality of said blueliner. GM Paul Holmgren might need to do some bargain shopping -- or move another player off his roster.

7. Boston Bruins (103 points)Cap space: $12.097 millionKey free agents:Brad Marchand (RFA), Michael Ryder (UFA), Tomas Kaberle (UFA)Top needs: Can the Stanley Cup champions be a better team, at least on paper, next season? Absolutely -- given the cap space GM Peter Chiarelli has, he could upgrade instead of re-signing Ryder and Kaberle if he wants. Adding a quality defenseman should be the top priority, because the Bruins have kids ready for bigger roles up front (Tyler Seguin, Jordan Caron, Zach Hamill).

8. Tampa Bay Lightning (103 points)Cap space: $21.836 millionKey free agents:Steven Stamkos (RFA), Teddy Purcell (RFA), Simon Gagne (UFA), Sean Bergenheim (UFA)Top needs: Everything hinges on Stamkos. Bergenheim, a playof star, isn't expected back, and the Lightning could use another top-six forward if Gagne leaves, plus some reinforcements on the bottom two lines. Dwayne Roloson is back to be the starter in net, but the Lightning could use a quality 1B because a) Roloson is going to be 42 years old and b) top prospect Cedrick Desjardins might not be ready for the start of the season because of an injury.

9. Anaheim Ducks (99 points)Cap space: $14.529 millionKey free agents:Teemu Selanne (UFA), Andres Lilja (UFA), Jarkko Ruutu (UFA)Top needs: If Selanne decides not to return, replacing him becomes priority No. 1. If he decides to play another season, the Ducks probably still could use one more top-six forward, but money might be tight after filling out the bottom two lines and paying the Finnish Flash.

10. Nashville Predators (99 points)Cap space: $23.462 millionKey free agents: Shea Weber (RFA), Sergei Kostitsyn (RFA), Cal O'Reilly (RFA), Joel Ward (UFA)Top needs: As with the Lightning, everything this summer is secondary to locking up Weber -- they're headed to arbitration, but the Predators would like to lock him up long-term. The Predators always seem to be one game-breaking forward shy of being considered elite, but retaining their restricted free agents likely will exhaust GM David Poile's budget.

11. Phoenix Coyotes (99 points)Cap space: $32.731 millionKey free agents:Keith Yandle (RFA), Ed Jovanovski (UFA), Radim Vrbata (UFA), Eric Belanger (UFA)Top needs: The Coyotes have to find a goaltender and sign Yandle. Beyond that, they could use a top-six forward but aren't likely to find one in this market. Just retaining most of their players and adding a No. 1 netminder should put Phoenix easily above the cap floor.

12. Los Angeles Kings (98 points) Cap space: $16.081 millionKey free agents:Drew Doughty (RFA), Michal Handzus (UFA), Alec Martinez (RFA)Top needs: As much as half of that cap space likely will be going to Doughty, and Handzus likely would need to take a pay cut to return as a bottom-six center. Adding Mike Richards was the big move, but the Kings could use another top-nine forward (or two) to play on the wing, though space could be tight.

13. Chicago Blackhawks (97 points)Cap space: $14.024 millionKey free agents: Michal Frolik (RFA), Chris Campoli (RFA), Viktor Stalberg (RFA)Top needs: Trading Brian Campbell opened some cap breathing room, but now the Blackhawks do have to replace him -- and maybe add another defenseman as well, if they can. The key players are in place for GM Stan Bowman, and after spending a summer in cap prison, he has retooled and can make some positive alterations for the Blackhawks.

14. Montreal Canadiens (96 points)Cap space: $14.804 millionKey free agents: D Josh Gorges (RFA), D Roman Hamrlik (UFA), D Paul Mara (UFA)Top needs: If that last group of players doesn't tell the story, the Canadiens have some work to do this summer on the blue line. Newly re-signed Andrei Markov is expected to be healthy and Alexei Yemelin may help, but the Canadiens need to sign 2-3 defensemen, at a minimum. An upgrade at forward would be nice but might not be possible. Montreal will be looking for a backup goalie as well.

16. Dallas Stars (95 points)Cap space: $25.628 millionKey free agents:Brad Richards (UFA), Jamie Langenbrunner (UFA)Top needs: Richards isn't coming back, and he's it when it comes to elite free-agent forwards. Dallas could try to replace him by adding two or three players up front to make the team deeper. The Stars also need another defenseman, but additions to the forward corps appear vital.

17. Calgary Flames (94 points)Cap space: $7.566 millionKey free agents:Chris Butler (RFA), Brendan Morrison (UFA), Freddy Modin (UFA)Top needs: The Flames are going to be in the market for a defenseman to go along with Butler, who came from Buffalo in the Robyn Regehr deal. They have 13 forwards under contract, but could use an upgrade there that might have to come via trade. GM Jay Feaster has more wiggle room than his predecessor had recently, but don't be surprised if he makes another move similar to the Regehr trade to free up more space.

18. New York Rangers (93 points)Cap space: $22.225 millionKey free agents:Ryan Callahan (RFA), Brandon Dubinsky (RFA), Mike Sauer (RFA), Brian Boyle (RFA)Top needs: Any time the Rangers have this much cap space, there is an opportunity for just about anything. There are several key restricted free agents who need to be retained, which will eat up a chunk of that space, but Brad Richards and a veteran defenseman likely will be the targets Friday for GM Glen Sather.

19. Carolina Hurricanes (91 points)Cap space: $23.391 millionKey free agents:Erik Cole (UFA), Brandon Sutter (RFA), Jiri Tlusty (RFA)Top needs: There are only eight forwards under contract, though a couple of prospects might be promoted (namely Zach Boychuk and Zac Dalpe). Resigning Jokinen will help, and Cole has had more success in Carolina than anywhere else. The Hurricanes probably could use another defenseman, as well. They have to spend a little more than $7 million anyway, so a little added depth could come from that.

20. St. Louis Blues (87 points)Cap space: $23.391 millionKey free agents:Ty Conklin (UFA)Top needs: The Blues locked up Oshie on June 30, so aside from finding a backup goaltender, they are pretty close to complete. They could add another top-nine forward and/or a defenseman, and have plenty of cap space to do so. The biggest thing is getting everyone healthy so they can finally see if this core of young players has the goods.

21. Minnesota Wild (86 points)Cap space: $13.578 millionKey free agents: Darrell Powe (RFA), Andrew Brunette (UFA), Antti Miettinen (UFA), John Madden (UFA)Top needs: There could be more space depending on what happens with Cam Barker, but the Wild also would need another defenseman if that happens. Minnesota is an intriguing team -- GM Chuck Fletcher finally has some cap space, and outside of backup goalie, has no glaring holes. Can the Wild finally take a big step forward this offseason?

23. New Jersey Devils (81 points)Cap space: $12.122 millionKey free agents:Zach Parise (RFA), Andy Greene (UFA), Anssi Salmela (RFA)Top needs: The Devils need another defenseman or two, but Parise's contract likely will eat up a large chunk of New Jersey's cap space -- he and the Devils are headed for arbitration. So, too, would Adam Larsson; the fourth pick of the 2011 Entry Draft could fill a spot on the blue line, but isn't going to be cheap if he plays immediately. This is another team that needs a backup goalie.

24. Columbus Blue Jackets (81 points)Cap space: $21.437 millionKey free agents:Jan Hejda (UFA), D James Wisniewski (UFA), Scottie Upshall (UFA), Marc Methot (RFA), Anton Stralman (RFA) Top needs: The Blue Jackets need defensemen. Depending on how confident GM Scott Howson is in a couple of his prospects, it's likely he still needs three or four defensemen (though Methot and Stralman could count as two of them). He traded for the rights to negotiate with Wisniewski, who would certainly help Columbus' power play. Assuming Ryan Johansen makes the team, the Blue Jackets suddenly are strong at center, but one more top-nine forward wouldn't hurt. The Blue Jackets also will be in the market for a backup goaltender.

25. Winnipeg Jets (80 points)Cap space: $28.358 millionKey free agents:Andrew Ladd (RFA), Zach Bogosian (RFA), Blake Wheeler (RFA) Top needs: If there was more talent available, the Jets really could go on a shopping spree. They still might. Winnipeg is pretty close to set on defense and in goal, so expect to see the Jets in on some of the top forwards available. If they're willing to spend near the salary-cap ceiling, the Jets could be one of the winners of this offseason.

26. Ottawa Senators (74 points)Cap space: $19.525 millionKey free agents:Marek Svatos (UFA), Pascal Leclaire (UFA)Top needs: Another tough team to gauge -- the Senators have plenty of cap room to make improvements, but GM Bryan Murray is committed to rebuilding with youth, and there isn't going to be a lot of impact talent available anyway. The Senators might add a veteran or two (and could go with a backup goalie to keep Robin Lehner playing full-time in the minors), but otherwise they likely will promote a few prospects and go with what they've got.

27. New York Islanders (73 points)Cap space: $27.534 millionKey free agents:Josh Bailey (RFA), Blake Comeau (RFA), Zenon Konopka (UFA)Top needs: The Islanders have pretty specific needs, and the list isn't nearly as lengthy as it has been the past couple of seasons. A veteran defenseman or two (Ehrhoff would be a huge coup, but he declined theiir offer), a top-nine (preferably top-six) forward with some size, and clarity in net. Only one of those seems plausible via the free-agent market, unless GM Garth Snow makes a play for a forward like Erik Cole.

28. Florida Panthers (72 points)Cap space: $38.174 millionKey free agents:Tomas Vokoun (UFA), Marty Reasoner (UFA), Sergei Samsonov (UFA)Top needs: GM Dale Tallon will be one of the most-discussed people in hockey during the next few days. He is trying to rebuild the Panthers with youth, and he has lots of prospects to give playing time to. He also has to spend more than $22 million just to get the cap floor. Top draft picks Erik Gudbranson and Jonathan Huberdeau could make the team, and their contracts likely would eat up in the neighborhood of $5 million in cap space. The Panthers' needs are many -- a goalie (especially since top prospect Jacob Markstrom might not be ready for camp because of an injury), multiple defensemen and a bushel of forwards. It could be a wild summer in South Florida.

29. Colorado Avalanche (68 points)Cap space: $34.804 millionKey free agents:Kevin Porter (RFA), T.J. Galiardi (RFA), Tomas Fleischmann (UFA), Ryan Wilson (RFA)Top needs: Goaltenders -- the Avalanche need more than one. They might go with what they have (plus their restricted free agents) on defense, but the Avalanche also are short on the wings. Obviously there is plenty of cap space to work with for Colorado.

30. Edmonton Oilers (62 points)Cap space: $19.875 millionKey free agents:Andrew Cogliano (RFA), Ladislav Smid (RFA)Top needs: The Oilers probably will look to add a veteran defenseman or two, but unless a better long-term solution in net presents itself, expect Edmonton to be pretty quiet. Ryan Smyth was a perfect addition -- a short-term contract that alleviates the concern other rebuilding teams have about getting to the cap floor while still giving their kids ample playing time.